Uncle Nicky

I don't think we are a complacent society, more like a "powerless" society. We've watched our manufacturing jobs be sent to Mexico and China, and we sit by watching millions of illegal aliens steal our unskilled labor jobs, and allow millions more foreign contractors with H-1B visas take our clerical and highly skilled jobs. Meanwhile, the cost of living outpaces wage increases. Most of us now realize that voting doesn't help, Republican or Democrat, since the career politicians we are presented with have no loyalty to the people, but to the lobbyists and corporations that put them in power. Todays kids actually work HARDER than we did. More homework in grade school, and you now need a college degree to be a line cook or file clerk. The 20 and 30-somethings I work with are on call 24-7, and often work nights & weekends to keep up; they're also smarter about computers and technology than the folks my age at the job. The saddest thing I see with this generation is the use of hard drugs, mostly with the under-achieving or academically challenged crowd.It seems every day I'm reading or hearing about another overdose death, and I know quite a few families who've lost kids to drug addiction; these are not inner-city ghetto kids, but middle-upper class families.

Good to know, I guess that explains it. I've always noticed that auto loaders were finicky and always seem to jam at the wrong time, that's why I never wanted one.

I guess if you stick around long enough, you will hear them all. I never heard of a shotgun that fires high brass better than low brass. The only quirk I'm aware of is some guns chambered for 3 1/2" shells don't cycle the 3 1/2" shells very well.

Like many things that some have only heard about or seen on TV, it sounds like a slam dunk until you actually try it. The first couple deer will come in rather stupidly, but after you poke their buddies a few times with an arrow, the game suddenly changes. A lot of my hunting near my house is similar to this, smaller woodlots with high deer densities. The biggest problem I run into is deer running off and trailing blood or dropping dead in a tree-hugger's yard....it does get ugly, most of these neighborsaren't thrilled to see a guy in camo sitting in a tree across the street from their $400k McMansion....

Haven't hunted blacktail, but I did hunt whitetail late August in South Carolina, their rifle season starts 8/15. Had on a T-shirt and light pants. In this part of PA, archery season starts mid September. I'd rather hunt in the summer than freeze in January, just need to dress right, bring some water or Gatorade, and don't forget the Thermacell. Got to get your meat in the refrigerator quick, flies are a bigger problem than meat spoilage.

The neck is a fairly large target to shoot at, and lots of room for error. The only sure shot I know of on the neck is where the head meets the neck, and unless I have a deer standing still broadside at less then 50 yards, I'm putting it right on his shoulders.

I took the dog out for a run yesterday. We didn't find any birds, but I did find a lot of blueberries. I had a few handfuls for lunch.

I've hunted all over the US & Canada, never made it to Alaska or Africa, and probably never will. Money's tighter these days, and I'd need to add an addition to the house if I wanted to put any more animal heads on the wall. Having said that, my favorite hunts so far have been whitetail hunting in Texas, and turkey hunting anywhere in the south (usually get in a hog hunt with dogs while I'm there).

I remember when my kids were in public school, they were always coming home with some crazy ideas that a teacher at school had told them, I made it a point to let them know my point of view on things I didn't agree with; as they get older, they are finding out that their old man had a pretty good insight into how the world works, same as I realized how right my father was about most things. I don't agree with teaching the subject of gay marriage in school, especially to elementary age children. If being a homosexual is the path they choose, I can't stop it, but I'm not for having the schools influence their feelings on the matter. I must have been sleeping, how did the LBGT community gain so much power in this country? They are less than 5% of the total population.

I'm all for hefty fines for anyone who knowingly hires an illegal, and give a bonus to any whistle blower that turns them in. If there is no demand, the supply will go away also.

I tried it years ago...it wasn't bad, same texture as deer, just not as chewy and less bloody tasting, similar to eating a yearling deer.

I carry a handgun with me when I'm training my dog, not so much for my benefit, but in case the dog jumps something she can't handle (coyotes, bear, porcupine, skunk), and to get her used to hearing gunshots at fairly close range. Not sure of what the law is in NY on carrying firearms for dog training, but in PA the only firearm allowed is a handgun.

You can kill a deer with a .22 short, if you hit it right. Why not try that circus trick this fall?

I am currently selling tin-foil hats, pictured below. Special deal for NY State Hunting Forum members, $19.95, includes shipping, handling, and as a special incentive, I will throw in a Flash Gordon decoder ring. Act now, supplies are limited. Cash, check, money order, Visa, or Master Card accepted.

Lucky

Just my experience...but most of the corporate types & suburbanites I live near always seem to have this mental image that we are sadists, who enjoy killing everything we see to satisfy a blood-lust, almost as if hunting is a real-life shoot-em-up video game. Every time I get a little stress at work, I'll get some some snide comment like "Leave Uncle Nicky alone, he owns guns" or something to that effect. When I explain to them that the time I spend in the woods does not have to necessarily involve killing something or even bringing meat home, I see the gears start to spin in their head, as if the stereotype isn't really true after all...

We had them quite often as a kid. Like Pygmy said, older ones are a little strong but younger ones are a lot like rabbit or quirrel. I'd probably reach for a frozen pack of groundhog before I reached for a pack of bluefish. What turns me off is handling any dead animals once the heat gets over 80. Not sure why, but the smell seems to multiply X10.

Oh, I'm not saying I don't bring this up whenever questioned or confronted. I just don't feel 100% sincere stating that this is one of the major reasons I take to the woods or water.

Just my $.02, but I never felt the "hunting for meat" explanation held a whole lot of water, I seem to sense more respect when I tell a non-hunter or anti-hunter that hunters are the ultimate conservationists (which we are).

I was never in a fraternity, but as I recall, as a broke college student in the early 80s, Blue Ribbon WAS the beer of choice. I think it was about $5/case.

Kind of a funny image, imagining a hipster biking into the woods, then sitting against a tree shivering with his Chuck Taylor sneaks, pork-pie hat, and scarf wrapped around his neck to stay warm.

It's probably too much for a middle school student to comprehend, but I'd explain that people hunt not only for food, tradition, the challenge or "chase", but also because we need to maintain a balance in nature. Because there are not enough natural predators to keep animal populations in check, this is where man steps in. If we didn't eliminate (or kill) enough game animals, they would either starve, freeze, or die from disease. In essence, by killing many of them we are helping them to remain strong.

Interesting to hear what others might say. I've never used a release either, just never felt comfortable, and I get good patterns using just my fingers.

Same luck for me, started off great, finished my Grand Slam in Florida, headed to Texas and killed a couple nice birds, all in the beginning of April...then nothing. Hunted hard in MD, PA, & NY, just not getting into birds, and the ones I do hear drift off after fly-down, never to be heard from again. Not complaining, it's hunting, most of it on public land. But it has been a humbling spring, that is for sure.

Yes, many days like this. I've had days when I couldn't buy a gobble either, no matter what I tried to do. One of these days I may figure them out, but I doubt it.